Kareem Jackson‘s quiet end to his time in Denver has led him to a familiar place: Houston.
The veteran defensive back has been claimed via waivers by the Texans, according to the league’s transaction wire.
Jackson was waived by Denver after serving a second suspension in the 2023 season for an illegal hit, this time, on Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the Broncos’ comeback win over the Vikings in Week 11. He was a healthy scratch in Denver’s Christmas Eve loss to New England, and with his roster exemption expiring Monday, the Broncos were forced to either activate him to the 53-man roster, or release him.
They chose the latter, sending him to waivers, where the Texans scooped him up.
Jackson began his career with the Texans, who selected him with the 20th overall pick of the 2010 draft out of Alabama. He played alongside current Texans coach DeMeco Ryans in Houston for two seasons before Ryans headed to Philadelphia in 2012. Jackson followed Ryans out of Texas in 2019, heading in the opposite direction of his former teammate to Denver, where he appeared in 69 games for the Broncos from 2019-2023.
He’ll head back to where his NFL journey started this week, joining a Texans team that has surprised the football world with an unexpected turnaround in their first season under Ryans.